Heretofore, an automatic analyzer for measuring components in biosamples, such as blood or urine samples, is predominately used in the measurements of biochemical items such as enzymes. Recently, however, there has been an increase in the measurements of immunological items, such as hormones or tumor markers. In a biochemical autoanalyzer, an absorbance change of a reaction liquid by a biochemical reaction in a blood sample is generally used to measure the substance to be examined by means of a transmitted or scattered light. Some immunological items can be measured by the biochemical autoanalyzer. For example, it has recently become possible to measure some immunological items which can be homogeneously measured without B/F separation, through an absorbance change in a latex agglutination method or the like.
On other hand, in a serum immunoanalyzer for immunological items, substances, such as hormones, to be examined in biosamples may be subject to a highly sensitive measurement by immunologically binding the substances to be examined in samples, and labeled antibodies or labeled antigens provided as reagents and prepared by labeling antibodies or antigens specifically reactive to each of the substances to be examined with a fluorescent colorant or the like, conducting a B/F separation, and then, detecting the labeled antibodies or labeled antigens by a heterogeneous measurement.
The recent development of a higher sensitivity in the serum immunoanalyzer has revealed the existence of substances, such as a thyroid-stimulating hormone, which indicate different pathologic conditions between the case of existing in a concentration higher than a normal level in blood, and the case of existing in a very small amount of less than a normal level in blood. Therefore, when measurements of biochemical items and immunological items for a same sample are required, a measurement by a biochemical autoanalyzer must be conducted after a measurement by a serum immunoanalyzer for the same sample, or alternatively, a measurement by a serum immunoanalyzer must be conducted after a measurement by a biochemical autoanalyzer for the same sample.
As above, in many cases, the test results obtained from a single autoanalyzer are insufficient for a diagnosis of clinical conditions. Therefore, an analyzing system capable of analyzing many items by a single system was proposed (for example, Patent Reference 1). However, the analyzing system proposed is composed of a plurality of biochemically analyzing units arranged along the line of transport of an analyte rack, that is, it has a structure substantially the same as that of plural biochemical autoanalyzers arranged in parallel.
Further, a multiple autoanalyzer with which a biochemical analyzing unit and an immunoanalyzing unit are integrated is known (for example, Patent Reference 2). In the multiple autoanalyzer, however, each of the biochemical analyzing unit and the immunoanalyzing unit is equipped with the reagent supply unit and devices in which reactions occur and are measured, respectively, and an analyte rack for supplying samples to the biochemical analyzing unit and the immunoanalyzing unit moves along the sample-transporting line, whereby the samples are shared. Therefore, the apparatus becomes large-scale, any advantage of saving space is limited, and a measuring and detecting time cannot be shortened.
The references cited abover correspeond to: [Patent Reference 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-281113, and [Patent Reference 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-4636.